Wouldn’t it be nice to get along with family and friends again? In our increasingly polarized world, fostering understanding and respectful dialogue is more important than ever. Along with Braver Angels, the City of Montgomery is hosting a series of workshops to help depolarize the political divide we face daily at work, with friends, and with our families. Join us in these workshops to build a more understanding and cohesive community. Trained local volunteers from Braver Angels will facilitate these workshops.
Depolarizing Ourselves Workshop
Terwilliger Lodge at Dulle Park,
Saturday, August 2, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
The Depolarizing Ourselves Workshop is designed to help you lessen the effects of polarization when you encounter them in your political conversations. Note that by “polarization,” we are not referring to healthy disagreements over issues or philosophy. We are talking about how we regard and talk about large groups of ordinary people on the other side of our own politics as if they were enemies.
Goals
To teach participants:
- How to be more aware of their own “inner polarizer;
- How to interact without demonizing, dismissing or stereotyping large swaths of the population.
In our current political climate, much of our conflict stems not from healthy disagreement over policies, issues, or philosophy. Instead, it’s created by the often emotional, rancor-escalating, and highly polarizing conversations we typically have with others. Braver Angels has created our Depolarizing Ourselves Workshop to help you reframe how you view the other side in the face of political disagreements. Successfully ‘taming’ our inner polarizer starts with recognizing our tendencies around harmful generalizations about the other side. This requires acknowledging how we often attribute negative intent and motivations to the other side without first trying to understand them.
Skills for Disagreeing Better Workshop
Terwilliger Lodge at Dulle Park,
Saturday, September 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
In our current polarized political environment, many people avoid or dread political conversations with friends, family members, and co-workers whose thinking differs from their own. People are concerned that any attempts at political discussions will dissolve into arguments, hostility, and anger. We often lack a basic understanding of why people on the other political side hold their beliefs. We do not see them as they see themselves – their core values and central concerns – instead, as we choose to see them. We tend to regard our side as principled and the other as self-interested. And when we try to communicate across this gap, we often lack the skills for listening carefully, looking for common ground, and sharing our perspectives in ways that connect rather than create more misunderstanding. We can learn to disagree better, which means in these polarized times, accurately seeing where we differ and where we share common ground.
Desired Outcomes
- More understanding of the values and concerns of people who differ from you politically.
- Better skills for listening in a way the other person feels heard.
- Better skills for sharing viewpoints in a way the other person might hear even if they disagree.
Walk a Mile in My News Seminar
Terwilliger Lodge at Dulle Park,
Saturday, October 4, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Our news sources impact how we see the world. As a result, staying within our own media “echo chambers” may limit our understanding of complex issues and contribute to polarization.
The Walk a Mile in My News interactive seminar encourages us to respectfully “reach across the aisle” and get to know our fellow community members who may have different opinions and consume different news sources. By participating, you will have a better understanding of how those with different views arrive at their positions while learning something new about bridging the divide in our nation.
The Walk a Mile in My News seminar is designed to explore the impact of media choices, media bias, and its contribution to our current day political polarization. This interactive session will provide a brief history of the evolution of the media landscape, bring awareness to the polarizing effects of media, and offer insight and strategies to handle differently.
Goals
Participants will:
- Understand how media and social media actively contribute to polarization today.
- Explore potential bias in our own news sources.
- Interact in small groups engaging in respectful discussion.
- Understand ways to engage with people who have different political perspectives.
Families & Politics
Terwilliger Lodge at Dulle Park,
Saturday, November 1, 9:30-Noon
Family relationships are becoming casualties of our toxic, polarized environment. Family members are having political arguments, avoiding each other, or even cutting off lifetime relationships.
Although the focus is on family relationships, you can use strategies in this workshop with any loved one. You will laugh and have some fun in this workshop—it will not be all serious. After all, we all come from quirky families!
Desired Outcomes
- Insight into why family differences over politics are uniquely challenging.
- Recognize common roles that family members play in political conversations (for example, the Gladiator, the Defender, and the Sniper).
- Strategies and skills for handling family political differences in a constructive way.
REGISTER
About Braver Angels
Braver Angels is a national organization that envisions an America that respectfully embraces political disagreements, where civic friendship flourishes, and competing perspectives strengthen our nation. Their goal is not to change people’s views of issues but to change their views of each other. Learn more about Braver Angels at braverangels.org.